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Dolphins deserve same rights as humans, say scientists. 21 February 2012Last updated at 15:54 Recognising the rights of dolphins would end whaling and their captivity Dolphins should be treated as non-human "persons", with their rights to life and liberty respected, scientists meeting in Canada have been told. Experts in philosophy, conservation and animal behaviour want support for a Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans. They believe dolphins and whales are sufficiently intelligent to justify the same ethical considerations as humans. Recognising their rights would mean an end to whaling and their captivity, or their use in entertainment.

Continue reading the main story “Start Quote Science has shown that individuality - consciousness, self-awareness - is no longer a unique human property. End QuoteEthics Professor Tom WhiteLoyola Marymount University of Los Angeles The move was made at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver, Canada, the world's biggest science conference. 'Self-aware'

BBC Nature - Brown bear exfoliates using rock as a tool. 6 March 2012Last updated at 12:04 The brown bear scrubbed its face using a barnacle-covered rock A wild brown bear has been photographed using a barnacle-covered rock to exfoliate in the first recorded act of tool use by the species. The observation was made in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska by the University of Cumbria's Dr Volker Deecke. The bear may have been using the rock to scratch irritated skin or remove food from its fur while moulting, Dr Deecke says. It means brown bears could be more advanced than first thought, he says. Dr Deecke's observations, which were made while on holiday in the park, have been published in the journal Animal Cognition.

Bears normally groom themselves when moulting by rubbing against trees or boulders or by using their claws, but have never been seen using tools before to scratch an itch. Continue reading the main story Bear behaviour: Brown bears (Ursus arctos) hunt alone except during seasonal spectacles such as salmon spawning. The 7 Best Pictures Of A Baby Elephant Playing At A Beach Of All Time. Facebook. Facebook. Laziest Polar Bear Ever! Great White Shark Fights Orca Killer Whale. Elephants hold vigil for human friend. Elephants travel to the Anthony home. (Photo by Thula Thula Game Reserve.) In case you needed another reason to care about wildlife, here’s one: If you devote your life to elephants, they might come to your funeral. Or anyway that seems to be what happened for conservationist and “elephant whisperer” Lawrence Anthony, who died in March. A few days after his death, two herds of elephants filed through the bush to their friend’s home, where they appeared to stand vigil for two days, according to Anthony’s family.

Anthony had spent time living with the elephants, in order to care for traumatized animals who were considered violent and unruly. But at the time of his death, of a heart attack, Anthony was living in a house on the Thula Thula game reserve in South Africa. If you’re scoffing instead of sniffling right now (BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO SOUL I GUESS) consider this: Elephants are well-known for their grieving rituals when family members die.